US: Hurricane remnants may have aided peanut farmers; cotton quality might be downgraded

Arkansas was not directly impacted by hurricanes that hit Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and others several weeks ago, but remnants of those systems did have the potential to affect growers in the eastern part of the state. Those systems produced heavy rains and winds in the Natural State, and it may have aided peanut farmers. Zachary Treadway, extension peanut and cotton agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that when Hurricane Francine drenched eastern Arkansas counties in mid-September, many peanut growers counted themselves lucky. “Peanuts are primarily grown in two areas of the state,” Treadway said. “The northeastern most counties, and then down near Marianna. Up north, the soil is very sandy, so most of that rain just ran through the profile without causing problems for peanuts, most of which were still in the ground.” “Down south, where the soil is heavier, with a lot of clay, some of the growers got ahead of ...